Bush Cow Attacks, Injures Boy, 17, In Bomi

A 17-year-old boy in Malama Town, Bomi County was viciously attacked and injured on Tuesday by bush cows after he had gone to the forest to cut sticks.

Bush cow is the short-horned buffalo of West Africa which is sometimes regarded as a separate species (Syncerus nanus).

Seakou Sonii, a resident of Malama Town, had gone to the nearby forest to cut sticks to construct a kitchen for his parents.

Sonii told journalists on Tuesday that while chopping the sticks a herd of three bush cows emerged from the underbrush and brutishly attacked him.

He explained that the trio threw him to the ground and began to chew up his legs in a violent manner, inflicting great pain on him.

Though he was defenceless, Sonii indicated that two of the cows fled after he managed to beat them with his machete.

The lad noted that while being pursued by the last cow, a man believed to be on a hunting expedition heard his cry for help and eventually came to his aid before he was taken to town for medication.

Konah Kandly, who is Town Chief of Malama Town, told journalists that attacks by wild cows have claimed the attention of the residents of the town following series of such incidents on farmers and other residents.

Kandly is of the opinion that the stringent wildlife protection policy as instituted by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), which prohibits hunting in the surrounding forests, is responsible for the frequent intrusion of wild animals, including elephants, into nearby villages and farms.

He wants the FDA to intervene in the situation as the villagers are unable to continue normal farming activities due to the rampant attacks by wild animals.

In November 2014, it can be recalled that the Liberia News Agency reported about a vicious bush cow in Bokomu District, Gbarpolu County which attacked a 45-year-old woman and severely injured her.

It was also reported in February 2009, that rampaging bush cows instilled fear in residents of Gogala in Gbarpolu County after several persons were attacked and injured.

Source: LINA

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Joel Cholo Brooks is a Liberian journalist who previously worked for several international news outlets including the BBC African Service. He is the CEO of the Global News Network which publishes two local weeklies, The Star and The GNN-Liberia Newspapers. He is a member of the Press Union Of Liberia (PUL) since 1986, and several other international organizations of journalists, and is currently contributing to the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation as Liberia Correspondent.